He Named Me Molalla – 1985 Mazda RX-7

Mazda’s RX-7 was arguably one of the first proper, modern-era sports cars. Debuting at a time where most affordable sports cars had roots solidly in the sixties or even fifties (just look at Triumph’s Spitfire, or Alfa’s twincam engine), the Hiroshima-built sports car sported a design that referenced Porsche’s 924 among others, and a modern version of the rotary powerplant, the Mazda version of which only debuted in the market in 1965. The smooth, revvy nature of the engine made it a natural engine for a sports car, and its fuel consumption was less of an issue for buyers of those cars than the rotary-powered family sedans Mazda sold in the 1970s. Let’s take a look at this 1985 Mazda RX-7 for sale for $3000 in Molalla, OR.

Silver has become a really common, bland color on contemporary cars, but for cars on which it’s rare, it really does a good job highlighting the shape (and saving you doing frequent washes). This car shows about 100K miles, and judging by the condition of the paint job and how well 1980s metallics held up, this one’s seen at least one repaint. Everything looks pretty straight, and there’s none of that extraneous rub stripping dealers liked to tack on when these were new.

The left side looks good too, though the roof racks are a little silly unless you plan on earning extra cool points by showing up at your nearest ski resort with this car – even more points if its coated with a fine layer of winter grime. There does look to be some minor damage, something that could be a good negotiating point once you’ve figured out if it’s a keeper.

The engine looks clean, a good sign sine it’s said to have had a rebuild with ported intake, together with new aluminum radiator, starter, battery, and ignition parts. The seller also offers a Racing Beat header, but does not say if it’s included or costs extra. The missing air filter is something of a concern, so hopefully the seller has simply removed it for photography’s sake. Rotary engines are certainly not a thing of aesthetic beauty, but the technology does make up for it.

Though showing a little damage on the driver’s outboard bolster, the overall impression of the interior is quite good – it’s clean, nobody’s hacked in a new stereo, and the only significant visible concern is the passenger seat, which wears a cover – it should really just be standard practice to pull that off at sale time since it only suggests the seller is hiding something. Nonetheless, the overall impression is of a pretty clean car that is ready for a few more spins up to 7000rpm – would you jump on this one?

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